Hit Me With Your Best Shot
by Dyanne Hellen Sotobod
Summary: When Ren and Kyouko begin working on a new drama, Kyouko comes up with the perfect plan to complete her revenge against Fuwa Shou...  Rated T for some language and later references to adult themes.
1. Act 1: Spandex and Capes

**Disclaimer: I asked for the rights for my birthday. My boyfriend got me two Korean CD's instead.**

**WARNING: The frame-story has the potential to get pretty dark. Of course, the main plot is light, but the TV show is not. So skip the scripted parts if you can't handle drama.**

**I love reviews. The good, the bad, and the ugly. So review.**

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_**Spandex and Capes**_

She was surprised, to say the least. She had entered the President's office expecting a job offer for another villain. What she had found instead was far different.

"Superman?" She looked up from the file she was reading. "The American super-hero?"

"Exactly," President Lory Takarada replied as he smoothed down his extremely colourful and asymmetrical outfit. At first, Kyouko had been completely confused by the odd costume consisting of a frilly, purple jacket; bright red shoes; striped, mismatched socks; a bow-tie with a pattern from an optical illusions book; and a top-hat stuck with all sorts of pins and some of the most out-of-place objects. She had quickly figured it out, however, after she had noted a very embarrassed and uncomfortable Sebastian wearing a waistcoat and bunny ears and holding a pocket watch.

"I'm going to be in a Japanese version of Superman?"

"Oh, heavens, no. Superman is an American hero, through and through. That would be like doing a Japanese version of _Forrest_ _Gump_." Upon seeing her confused expression, President Lory waved his comment aside. "The title just so happens to refer to Superman."

Kyouko looked again at the drama information for _Superman's Shoes_. "It's a romance."

President Lory beamed. "I know! Isn't it wonderful?"

"You said that I could not do romance until I learned how to love."

He adjusted his hat. "I said the same thing to Tsuruga-kun, and that turned out well. Besides, you use different techniques. He mixes method and external while you primarily employ method. I think you can pull this off easily." He nodded at her. "Have you read the character description?"

Of course she had. She would be playing a girl who had been abused and used her entire life before finally breaking free from a toxic relationship with her boyfriend. Needless to say, Kyouko could relate to a degree. But there were things about the role and worried her, like the extreme levels of abuse, or the whole falling in love bit. "Who plays...my...love interest?"

"That has yet to be determined." The President leaned over his desk. "This is a very fortuitous opportunity, Mogami-kun. This is the female lead. I would not pass this up, if I were you."

Kyouko thought for a moment. Father had once told her that she could not pick her roles based on personal sentiment. She quickly made up her mind. "Where do I sign?"

"Last page, on the bottom. You have to initial in the top right corner of every page, too. Allow me to get you a pen." He looked at Sebastian.

Kyouko watched in morbid fascination as the poor man took a shaky breath, seeming to wail in pain inwardly, and hopped forward, a fountain pen in his hand.

LMExLMExLME

"...A fabulous role. Truly." The President leaned forward. "This is not a mere romance. This is a tale of strength and heroics and the common man. This will be much darker than _Dark_ _Moon_, not at all meant for all ages. Most importantly, you will have the chance to show that you can play not only a flawed character, but also a _human_ one. You would be a fool to turn this down."

Ren sighed and placed the file on his lap. "Alright. Where's the catch?"

President Lory blinked. "Catch? What on earth do you mean?"

"What does this have to do with Mogami Kyouko?"

"When will you realize that I think about your future before your love life? This is about opportunity as an actor, not as a lover."

But the actor would not be distracted so easily. "Who plays the female lead?"

The President hesitated before brightly replying, "Mogami Kyouko."

"I thought so," Ren muttered. He stood up. "That settles it. I can't do this."

"Why? Because you have to kiss her in the end? That should hardly be a problem. You're in love with her."

"And _that's_ the problem." In truth, he was not sure why his feelings were an issue. He just knew that they were. He simply felt like he would be using a script as a reason to get close to her. There were ethics involved.

"You've never let personal feelings stop you before."

"I've never been in love with my costar before," Ren countered.

"I thought you were planning to fulfill your goal so you could be with her. Now you're going to let her stand in your way?" President Lory shook his head. "You do realize who the producer and director is, don't you? Kurosaki Itou. That's right. The same Kurosaki Itou who directs Japanese and American films. The same Kurosaki Itou who won an Academy Award for best director. And he wants you. You take this job, and you are one step closer to achieving what you've been working for."

The President's words swam through Ren's head, but he could not shake the sense of foreboding. Something would go wrong. He would slip up somewhere, and he would scare her off. Then all of his progress would be for naught. "I'm afraid my answer is still 'no.'" He held the packet out.

President Lory sighed and took the file. "Sebastian, call Kurosaki and tell him the bad news. He'll have to find someone else." He scratched his chin. "Mogami-kun can still get over her philophobia, which is a good thing. Off-set romances often spring up during projects like this–"

Ren jumped forward and snatched the file from the President's hand. "When's the cold-read?"

LMExLMExLME

Shou glared at the page, crumpled it up, and threw it over his shoulder. What ever he did, he just could not get the damn chord progression right. In fact, he could not get much of anything right lately.

All week he had been listening to perverted nobody's go on about some magazine interview with his Kyouko.

"Wasn't Kyouko-chan beautiful?" they would say. "At first I just thought Natsu was hot, but did you see Kyouko-chan in that swimsuit spread? And she seems like such a sweet, genuine person! Not at all like any of the other self-obsessed idols..."

Finally, Shou had purchased the magazine. Upon opening to the coveted center-fold, he had nearly blown a gasket. Kyouko was not merely looking absolutely delectable in a deep purple bikini. She was looking absolutely delectable in a deep purple bikini while standing in a very suggestive pose with _him_.

And to top it all off, he had dreamt the previous night that he was at her wedding. Kyouko, the gorgeous bride, had made her way down the isle to the side of the groom. But what really had made the dream odd was that she had not been not marrying _him_, as was a reoccurring theme in his nightmares. No. _He_ was nowhere in sight. Kyouko had been marrying that punk from the Colbert Cologne commercial. Not even anyone famous! She had chosen so far below his level! Shou had been furious.

He now realized that his anger had nothing to do with _him_. Any man talking about his Kyouko, touching his Kyouko, thinking about his Kyouko, set him on edge. His problem was not a competitive ego issue at all.

His problem was love.

And he now realized that he could never win her back with arrogance.

Shou was determined. He would win her back. He would pull her from the side of any man, even if he had to totally humble himself and beg.

LMExLMExLME

Shocked? Definitely. Anxious? Certainly. Unworthy? Absolutely.

That was how she felt when she first found out who her costar would be. He, with his non-angry fake smile, had wished her luck and said that they would work hard together. Typical of Mr. Perfect.

Ren, on the other hand, had felt completely perturbed. What would she think? Would she be unhappy? Would she ask to be taken off the job? Would she be upset that he wasn't someone else? Would she actually be happy?

She had told him over and over how honoured she felt to be working on another project with him.

"This is going to be so fun!" she exclaimed as she and Ren walked through the LME parking garage after another photo shoot for a new swimwear line. "What a fantastic cast! I only hope I can keep up. Especially with you."

Ren refused to let her flattery go to his head. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You will be amazing."

"Oh, no. I'm sure your performance will be far superior to mine. After all, Tsuruga-sempai–"

"Kyouko."

Both actors turned to look at the very unwelcome interruption. Ren flashed his infamous gentleman smile. Kyouko's eyes narrowed and her grudges flew about in a frenzy.

"Shou."

"Fuwa-san..."

Shou glared at the taller man before turning to Kyouko. "Why are you with him?"

"We were at a photo shoot, and now we're going to lunch," Ren answered bitterly.

Kyouko put a hand on his arm. "Tsuruga-sempai, I can handle this..." She turned back to Shou, knowing she'd have to apologize to Ren for her rudeness later. "Why are you here?"

Shou completely ignored the question. "You're with him because of me, right?"

"Eh?" Kyouko took a step back in shock.

"You know I hate him, so that's why you're always with him, right?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself. I don't do everything because of you."

"Oh, but you used to." Shou stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. "And you're not the sort of person who changes so easily. I've known you for quite a while, you know."

Ren clenched his hands into fists. He felt ready to punch that bastard's lights out, but he had to respect Kyouko's wishes. She wanted to handle this on her own.

"I _have_ changed, Shou."

He shook his head. "No, you haven't. You are a creature of habit. Once you've given your heart away, you don't change your mind. You're obviously turning to him so you can try to get over me."

Ren smirked as he realized that Shou thought there was some sort of attraction between the two actors. If only it were so...

"Don't you dare think that." Kyouko took a deep, calming breath. Her grudges flew higher and faster. "Don't you dare think that I still want you. Don't you dare think that I'm moping around because you hurt me."

"Kyouko, I know you feel it. I feel it too! We belong together and–"

Ren couldn't take any more. "Fuwa-san." He stepped slightly in front of Kyouko and glared at Shou. "I'm warning you, don't bother this woman again."

Shou took a step back before deciding he would fight. Never would he be defeated by a simple _glare_. "Listen, punk. You stay out of this. This is between me and Kyouko."

Ren felt justifiably pissed for two reasons: first, the singer was speaking about _his Kyouko_ in an all-too-familiar way, and second, the idiot thought he deserved a second chance when he couldn't even speak with proper grammar. "Anything between you and her concerns me. Right, Kyouko?" He turned back to her realizing too late his slip up and use of her given name. She was staring at him with wide eyes that threatened to pop out of her head. After a few moments, he grabbed her hand and pulled her over to his silver Porsche.

Once they were inside, Kyouko turned to him. "Tsuruga-sempai, gomen nasai! I should not have pushed you away! Clearly you should have handled everything–"

"Mogami-san!" Ren grabbed her hands. "I should not have intruded. It was not my place to...and I'm sorry for...that..."

Kyouko shook her head. "No! I think...my name...added to the effect, yes? Besides, I didn't...mind..." She looked at her lap awkwardly. "If you want, you could still...you know..."

Ren smiled, nodded, and gently released her hands. "So no one has anything to apologize for, right? Except him?" He back the car out of its parking spot and drove from the garage.

Kyouko sighed and glared out the window. "I wish someone would throw his pride in his face. Humble him. Don't you agree, Tsuruga-sempai?"

"Ren."

"Eh?"

He stopped at a stoplight and looked at her bug-eyed expression. "If I'm going to start calling you 'Kyouko,' you should start calling me 'Ren.' It will look weird otherwise."

Kyouko nodded slowly. "...Ren-san..."

Ren turned forward. He could live with that. It was a start. "I agree."

"I mean, really! Does he have any idea what heartbreak feels like? It's not something a person can just–" She gasped and put both hands over her mouth.

"What's wrong?" Ren asked, worried.

"I'm having a stroke!"

"WHAT?" The car swerved. Someone honked.

"Of genius!"

Ren glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "What are you talking about?"

Kyouko ginned and her grudges appeared. "Revenge will be complete."

"Ok, that's it." He pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park. "What are you thinking?"

Kyouko looked at him with perverse delight gleaming in her eyes. "I'll give him exactly what he gave me."

"I don't–"

"The next time he asks me to come back to him, I'll say, '_Yes._'"

Ren felt like his world was ending. "What–"

"And then I'll do exactly what he did to me." She looked at his shocked face and smiled sweetly. "I'll treat him like dirt and then leave him on the side of the road. _That _should put him in his place."

No matter what her intentions were Ren did not like this idea one bit. "Kyouko, I–"

"Shhh..."

Ren stared in shock at the finger she had gently placed on his lips. Who the hell was this girl, and what had she done with his sweet Kyouko?

"Everything will work out perfectly." She sat back in her seat and pointed forward. "Onward!" She trew him a joking glare. "And don't even begin to think you can get out of eating a proper meal."

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**So...that's chapter one. Whatcha think? Plot holes so far? Anything need touch-ups? Confusion? This is my first Skip Beat! story, so I'd appreciate some help.**

**I'm looking for a Beta-Reader if anyone is interested.**

**Philophobia: The fear of falling in love or being in love**

**So...yeah. Read and review!**


	2. Act 2: Enter the Dragon

**WARNING: The frame-story has the potential to get pretty dark. Of course, the main plot is light, but the TV show is not. So skip the scripted parts if you can't handle drama.**

**I love reviews. The good, the bad, and the ugly. So review.**

**I've done a lot of work in media, so if you have questions, ask. Or use Google. If you have issues reading scripts...  
><strong>

**V.O. = Voice over  
><strong>**INT = interior shot  
><strong>**EXT = exterior shot  
><strong>**Pan, Narrow Angle, Wide Angle, Dolly, Cant, Arc...look them up. They're all camera movements.  
><strong>_**Italics **_**= direction  
><strong>**() = action on a line**

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_**Enter the Dragon**_

"Alright," Director Kurosaki called. "We're starting from the top of that scene. Excellent work, Shouta."

Ren bowed.

"You too, Aimi."

Kyouko bowed.

"As for the rest of the talent..." Kurosaki groaned quietly and put his head in his hand. "Please, try to act like you're at a party. Where you are HAVING FUN." He turned to one of the camera operators. "Is the crane set and stabilized? Good. And we are rolling in 5...4...3...2...1...Action."

[[1 – EXT. Tokyo

_We see a large, modern building with a rooftop garden. There is a crowd on the roof. Camera Zoom to Narrow Angle on crowd._

**SHOUTA V.O.  
><strong>When I was ten years old, I was introduced to The Legend of Zelda. I idolized Link for his bravery and strength. I wanted to be the type of hero who saves princesses and kingdoms, until the day my brother told me that I'd get arrested if I tried to carry a sword around.

_Dolly in to NAKANO SHOUTA's face. SHOUTA is tall with black hair. He is leaning over the railing of the balcony. He is wearing a light blue button-down and khaki slacks and brown dress shoes._

**SHOUTA V.O.  
><strong>After that, I didn't think about The Legend of Zelda for years, until my five-year high school reunion.

_SHOUTA straightens and turns around, immediately running into TSUKINO AIMI. He grabs her arms to stabilize them both._

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't...Tsukino-san?

**AIMI  
><strong>Nakano-kun...

_AIMI is petite, pretty, and brunette. He face is noticeably made-up. She is wearing a lavender turtleneck with long sleeves and grey dress pants and black pumps and is carrying a black purse._

**SHOUTA  
><strong>(He grins)  
>Oh, my God! I haven't spoken to you in forever! It's like you just disappeared off the face of the earth.<p>

**AIMI  
><strong>(She chuckles nervously)  
>Yeah...Life does that sometimes...<p>

**SHOUTA  
><strong>How have you been? What have you been doing these past five years?

**AIMI  
><strong>(She fidgets slightly)  
>Um...Not much. Everything's pretty normal.<p>

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Are you working? Are you seeing anyone?

**AIMI  
><strong>(She looks a little uncomfortable)  
>I'm living with my boyfriend...I don't really work right now. He's a dentist, so we're not struggling...<p>

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Boyfriend, eh? You two met at Teikyo, I guess?

**AIMI  
><strong>Yeah...  
>(She smiles birghtly)<br>What about you? You went to Todai, right? What are you doing now?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>I'm working as a journalist for the Sun.

**AIMI  
><strong>And do you have a special someone?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Not really.

_People start moving toward a large group of chairs and a big projection screen._

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Hey. They're about to start the baby pictures, I think. Wanna skip the embarrassment and bail?

_AIMI nods and they quickly leave._

2–EXT. Night street

_SHOUTA and AIMI are casually strolling down the sidewalk. Even from Wide Angle we can tell that SHOUTA is doing most of the talking while AIMI is listening and saying as little as possible. Camera Zoom to Narrow Angle._

**SHOUTA  
><strong>You know what? I had this major crush on you all throughout high school.

**AIMI  
><strong>(She looks away)  
>I had one on you too...<p>

**SHOUTA  
><strong>(He smiles, reminiscing)  
>Etsuko alway told me that I should have asked you out.<br>(He gets excited)  
>Speaking of my sister, let's forget the ramen plan and go to my place! Etsuko would love to see you and–<p>

_A simple, telephone ringtone goes off. AIMI answers._

**AIMI  
><strong>Hello? Kurosawa-san...No I'm with a friend...Going to visit his sister...No...No...I know...But I...Yes. I understand.

_AIMI hangs up._

**AIMI  
><strong>That was my boyfriend. I have to go home.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>(He seems startled and confused)  
>What? Can't he wait a few minutes? We're right around the corner...<p>

**AIMI  
><strong>I shouldn't even be here.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>But Etsuko...

**AIMI  
><strong>It was nice seeing you again, Nakano-kun.

_AIMI bows and turns quickly. SHOUTA grabs her wrist and she hisses in pain._

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Tsukino-san! I'm sorry! Did I hurt you? Let me see!

**AIMI  
><strong>No!

_AIMI tries to get away, but SHOUTA is too strong for her. He pushes her long sleeve halfway up her arm._

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Let me–Oh, God...

_We see a deep purple contusion around her wrist. There are more contusions along her forearm, notably in the shape of fingers. He pushes the sleeve all the way up her arm. Even more bruising obviously caused by a hand._

**SHOUTA  
><strong>(He is noticeably angry)  
>Who did this?<p>

_AIMI tries to pull away. She looks close to tears. He forces her to look at him._

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Did _he_ do this?

_A small sob escapes her throat. SHOUTA lets her go. She backs away._

**AIMI  
><strong>(She shakes her head)  
>I have to go.<br>(She runs off)

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Tsukino-san!

3–INT. Kurosawa's home

_We see bare, grey walls where paint is falling off. There is a threadbare counch up against the wall. The back comes up high, but not high enough to cover a hole in the sheetrock. AIMI opens the door from outside and enters._

**AIMI  
><strong>Tadaima...

_KUROSAWA HIROSHI appears. KUROSAWA is large and dark. He is wearing a sweatshirt and jeans._

**KUROSAWA  
><strong>Bitch!  
>(He slaps her hard)<br>You're late!

**AIMI  
><strong>I'm sorry! I didn't–

**KUROSAWA  
><strong>(He slaps her again)  
>I don't want to hear it.<br>(He grabs her hair tightly and forces her to look at him)  
>Who were you with?<p>

**AIMI  
><strong>(She lets out a small sob)  
>Just a friend...<p>

**KUROSAWA  
><strong>(He laughs sharply)  
>Friend? A useless bitch like you doesn't have friends. Alright. Who was this "friend" of yours?<p>

**AIMI  
><strong>Nakano-kun–

**KUROSAWA  
><strong>A boy?  
>(He spins her around and grabs her throat and twists one harm behind her back as she cries out in pain)<br>What did you do with him?

**AIMI  
><strong>(She is shaking and crying)  
>Nothing! We only talked!<p>

**KUROSAWA  
><strong>What did you tell him? God knows an idiot like you would let anything out. What did you say?

**AIMI  
><strong>Nothing! I didn't tell him anything! Please–

**KUROSAWA  
><strong>(He pushes her toward the back door)  
>You're lying. Don't you dar say "please" to me. I'm not going to spare you one bit.<p>

4–INT. Meeting room

_We see a group of men sitting around a table. They look up and KUROSAWA enters with AIMI._

**KUROSAWA  
><strong>You're going to get exactly what you deserve, tonight, right boys?  
>(He caresses her face in an almost loving way)<br>We're going to have a lot of fun with you...  
>(He throws her down and rips off her top)<p>

_We see her entire torso is battered. There are even cuts on her sides. One man picks her up and another reaches for the button on her pants. AIMI screams. Camera Zoom to Narrow Angle on KUROSAWA's sadistic smile._

5–Bar, 11:30 PM

_We see a very crowded room. Camera Pan Down and Dolly through crowd to SHOUTA and MORI YUUTA and TAKANASHI JIROU, SHOUTA's best friends. YUUTA is behind the counter and is dressed in all black. JIROU is in his cop uniform._

**YUUTA  
><strong>Did she say anything? Did she ask for help?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>No, but–

**JIROU  
><strong>That doesn't matter. Did she say that he did it?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>No, but I'm sure it's him! She acted so scared on the phone, and when I asked her who had hurt her and if he had done it...If you had seen her face you'd believe me.

**JIROU  
><strong>I believe you. It's just a matter of legality. We can't do a thing if she won't accuse him.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>You're just going to let him hit her? He could kill her!

**JIROU  
><strong>If I bust in there without a warrant, he could counter-charge!

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Then get a damn warrant!

**JIROU  
><strong>I can't without her testimony! Look, even if I did get a warrant, which I _won't_ since there's nothing we can charge him with, without her, he'll get off on bail, most likely. Then, she'll get into even more trouble. I walk a fine line, man. I can't make a move without solid proof.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>There are _bruises_ all over her arms!

**JIROU  
><strong>She could claim she fell down the stairs.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>They look like handprints!

**JIROU  
><strong>That doesn't matter! Without her, I can't do a thing.

**YUUTA  
><strong>Dude, I know this is hard. Here.  
>(He passes him a drink)<br>It's on the house.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>What is it?

**YUUTA  
><strong>A secret concoction.

_SHOUTA downs it just as MORI CHOUKO, YUUTA's wife, walks up. CHOUKO sharply, like a business woman in a charcoal skirt and ivory top._

**CHOUKO  
><strong>What are you boys talking about?  
>(She leans over the counter to give YUUTA a kiss on the cheek)<br>It seemed like an intense conversation.

**YUUTA  
><strong>(He smiles widely at his wife)  
>Thanks for coming to visit me at work.<p>

**CHOUKO  
><strong>Honey, you don't work. You socialize.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>We were just talking about my highschool reunion. Where's Etsuko?

_CHOUKO points and the camera cuts to a black-haired girl about SHOUTA's age dancing with a boy of about the same age. Camera cuts back._

**JIROU  
><strong>(He is obviously put-off)  
>I'm going to walk her home. She has class in the morning, and who knows what kind of creeps are out this late.<br>(He stands and walks over to her)

_Camera cuts as we see what the rest of the group sees. JIROU walks up and taps NAKANO ETSUKO on the shoulder. She turns and smiles brightly at him. He whispers something to her and she nods, waves goodbye to her stunned partner and walks out with JIROU._

**CHOUKO  
><strong>(She chuckles)  
>They're so cute.<br>(She turns to YUUTA)  
>I'm going to go talk to Byun in the back.<br>(She leaves)

**SHOUTA  
><strong>I just wish there were some way I could help her...

6–EXT. Night Street - 1:30 AM

_We see SHOUTA walking with his head down. He is not drunk. He is wearing a black jacket over his clothing. He walks past an alley on the left and stops. We hear muffled sobs coming from the left. He lookes down the alley and gaps. Camera Cut to a girl in her bra and ripped pants. She looks up when she hears footsteps and we see that she is AIMI. Her face is swollen, her lip is bleeding, and her right eye is starting to bruise and swell. She is crying heavily._

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Aimi?

_She backs away, not recognizing him._

**SHOUTA  
><strong>It's alright. It's Ok.  
>(He hold out a hand)<br>I'm going to help you.

**AIMI  
><strong>Nakano-kun?  
>(She moves forward slightly and stops crying so hard)<br>Nakano-kun?

_He takes off his jacket and puts it around her._

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Can you stand?

_AIMI tries to get up, but she is obviously aching between her legs. She falls. SHOUTA breathes in sharply._

**SHOUTA  
><strong>It's Ok.  
>(He pulls out his phone)<br>I'm going to call an ambulance. You need help–

**AIMI  
><strong>No!  
>(She grabs the phone and starts crying again)<br>I can't go to a hospital! I can't!

**SHOUTA  
><strong>I know you don't want to, but you need medical attention–

**AIMI  
><strong>Please! No! I really can't!

**SHOUTA  
><strong>What do you want me to do?

**AIMI  
><strong>(She bites her lip and looks into his eyes. She whispers)  
>Save me...]]<p>

"CUT! Excellent work! That's a wrap for today!" Kurosaki started gathering his things.

Ren helped her stand up. Kyouko thanked him and tightened the jacket around herself.

"I should go get cleaned up..."

"Yeah..." Ren smiled. "Do you want to go get dinner?"

Kyouko nodded. "Ok, Ren-san."

She walked back to her dressing room and opened the door, stopping short upon seeing a very tall metaphorical elephant in the room. "What do you want now?"

And then, the elephant did something she never could have imagined. It dropped into a dogeza.

Indeed. Fuwa Shou was kneeling in a dogeza on her dressing room floor. Albeit, it was a very poor dogeza, as he had never practiced one in his life, but it was a dogeza nonetheless.

After getting over her initial shock at the spectacle, Kyouko narrowed her eyes. "Get up. You look like an idiot. What do you want?"

"I am so sorry!" Shou cried from his position on the floor. "I was wrong! I hurt you! And I was wrong in my approach yesterday! It's just that every time I see you with him I get..." He looked up at her. "I love you!"

Kyouko backed into a wall. Her grudges were completely still. Then she smirked. _Yeah, right._ "What do you want?" she repeated.

"A chance!" He dropped his head again. "A chance to prove everything that I am saying now! I want you back, Kyouko." He looked up again. "I'll treat you right! I'll give you anything you want! You can do whatever you want, go anywhere you want, see anyone you want! Just be with me again. Please!"

"Anything I want?" Kyouko scoffed and sauntered over to him. "I want sixteen years of my life back, asshole."

Shou winced. He deserved that.

Outside the door, Ren smirked. He deserved that.

Kyouko turned back toward the mirror and started wiping her makeup and fake blood off.

"I know I don't deserve you."

_Damn straight,_ Ren agreed silently.

"I know you don't want to see me."

_Then get the hell out! _the actor wanted to scream.

"And I know that I hurt you. But I want to make it up to you."

Kyouko decided that she would wait until she could take a shower to get the rest of the makeup off. She stood and went behind a changing screen. "Make it up to me? And how are you going to do that?" She slipped out of her costume and picked up her jeans

Shou took a deep breath. "By loving you." He stood up and closed his eyes. "By doing everything I can for you. Whatever you ask. You can treat me however you wish. Just be with me."

Ren wished he had the balls to say all of that.

Having just donned a yellow blouse and grey jacket, Kyouko stepped from behind the changing screen. "Fine."

Shou blinked. _What?_ "Did you just..."

"Fine. I'll try this out. But I'm going to hold you to everything you just said."

Shou nodded vigorously. "Of course. About our first date, what do you–"

"Figure it out yourself." She picked up her shoes and purse. "It's not my problem." She opened the door and turned to her right. "Ren-san!" she cried happily.

_Ren-san? Since when–_ Shou ran out of the room and glared at Kyouko's costar.

Ren smirked and put an arm around Kyouko's shoulders. "Are you ready to go eat, _Kyouko_?"

"Don't call her so familiarly! And where do you think you're going with him? You're with me now, remember?"

Kyouko laughed and turned to look at him. Natsu began to shine through. "I'm sorry...I thought you said that I could do anything I want, go anywhere I want and see anyone I want. Or did I misunderstand that?" She smiled slyly.

Shou glared at the floor. _I'm such an idiot..._ "I said that..."

Natsu flipped her hair. "Then this shouldn't be a problem. Come on, Ren-san." The two actors turned and left him.

LMExLMExLME

"Oh, this is perfect! Kyouko squealed as soon as she and Ren sat down in a far corner of some high-in restaurant. "And, he promised that he would let me do anything I want to him! This is too good!"

_I know. I heard..._ Ren cleared his throat. "Kyouko, I think we need to talk about this plan...I think it's...flawed."

"Flawed?" Kyouko stared at Ren. "What's wrong with it?"

Ren tried to think of something. Anything. "Do you actually think you could break someone's heart?"

His words cut to her core. "You don't think I'm worth enough as a person to be a heartbreaker?"

"What? No!" _Where did she get that? Oh, right. She's Kyouko. _"I mean that you're too good of a person. You're too nice. You could never hurt someone like that."

Kyouko smiled, happy that Ren thought she was sweet. Then she waved his remark aside. "It's alright. He doesn't have a heart."

"Exactly." Ren leaned over the table. "So you can't hurt him like he hurt you. Then is this really fair? You should just call this whole thing off and think of something that doesn't involve your...dating...him..."

Kyouko leaned over to meet him. "Well, even if I can't hurt his heart, I can still hurt his reputation, right? I mean, imagine what the tabloids would say if Fuwa Shou were _dumped_."

Ren sighed. "They'd have a field day."

"I know!" Kyouko sat back, pleased. "That's why this is perfect!"

Ren shook his head quickly. "Ok, Kyouko, what if you accidentally start to...you know...fall for him..." He could kill himself for insinuating that.

Kyouko laughed. "That will _never_ happen." She took a sip of her water. "But if it makes you feel better, I promise that whenever you say it's game over, I'll end it."

"Uh...Kyouko–"

She waved to a waitress. "Are you ready, Ren-san? Ah, yes." She smiled at the awestruck girl. "I'll have the King Crab Onigara Yaki and the Negimaki, please." She turned to Ren. "What about you?"

Ren gaped at the utterly clueless love of his life as she sat watching him in merry anticipation. He took a deep breath and looked at the waitress. "Same."

...

...

...

**Toudai - a nickname for University of Tokyo**

**Teikyo - a university in Tokyo**

**King Crab Onigara Yaki - Crab legs sliced open and brushed with a mirin, soy andegg yolk sauce and grilled. Served often as an appetizer.**

**Negimaki - Beef roll with scallions**

**And there's chapter two. See? The show was dark. And slightly disturbing. Ok, very disturbing. Maybe I should up the rating for everything I implied...but there was nothing explicit in here, right?**

**This was mainly an episode chapter with a little plot at the end. The rest of the chapters will be fairly equal as far as content goes, but this was purely for the sake of getting the show started and introducing the main plot line.**

**So...yeah. Read and review!**


	3. Act 3: Violets Are Blue

**WARNING: The frame-story has the potential to get pretty dark. Of course, the main plot is light, but the TV show is not. So skip the scripted parts if you can't handle drama.**

**I love reviews. The good, the bad, and the ugly. So review.**

**I've done a lot of work in media, so if you have questions, ask. Or use Google. If you have issues reading scripts...**

**V.O. = Voice over  
><strong>**INT = interior shot  
><strong>**EXT = exterior shot  
><strong>**Pan, Narrow Angle, Wide Angle, Dolly, Cant, Arc...look them up. They're all camera movements.  
><strong>_**Italics **_**= direction  
><strong>**() = action on a line**

...

...

...

**_Violets Are Blue_**

Tsuruga Ren was in a bad mood. Anyone could see that. He had been up all night trying to figure out a way to call Kyouko's "game" off. He could not tell her to simply end it; he needed a reason. _"Fuwa is an idiot."_ She already knew that one, and she would use that fact as grounds to keep going. _"This isn't equal to what he did to you."_ She had already shot that one down at dinner. _"I love you." _ Yeah. That would turn out well. Ren knew he was in way over his head.

But nothing served to worsen his mood like the sight of an enormous bouquet of roses in the arms of a crew member heading through Mogami Kyouko's dressing room door.

He quickly concluded that these were not simple congratulatory flowers or courtesy flowers. Lilies, orchids, tulips...those were courtesy flowers. Roses were personal. They could not have come from Kurosaki, as directors only handed out single roses. They could not have come from any of the other male cast members. They were all married. They could not have come from the President. He would have included an orchestra and a few elephants with his flowers. And he knew for a fact that he did not buy them. And that left only one plausible option.

He nodded to the crew member as he left the dressing room. Ren was about to knock when he heard a familiar voice ask, "Are those from Tsuruga-san?"

"Of course not, Moko-san! Ren-san would never send me flowers. I'm just his kouhai, after all. He has much more important things to do."

Ren ran a hand down his face in frustration. Of course she thought that. She was Mogami Kyouko.

"Wait, what did you just call him?" Kotonami Kanae asked. There was a long pause. "What's wrong? Who are they from? ...Kyouko...Do you want to tell me what's going on between you and Fuwa Shou and why exactly he thinks that you are his girlfriend?"

Ren's suspicions were confirmed.

"Moko-san, I did not mean to hide anything from you. I was going to tell you as soon as I could! Fuwa Shou and I...we're not really dating. Well, he thinks we are, but the truth is that I'm only pretending to be with him so I can do to him what he did to me!"

"...Did Tsuruga-san agree to this?"

"I told him he could call it off whenever he wanted."

"So...he didn't agree to this."

"Not initially, but I think he's warming to the idea."

Ren decided that he had heard enough. He knocked on the door. "Kyouko?"

"Ren-san!" Kyouko threw the door open. "Is it time to go to makeup already?"

He smiled around her. "Kotonami-san."

The girl merely raised a skeptical eyebrow and nodded. She straightened her atrocious pink uniform and started for the exit. "Well, I should probably leave. I don't want to be late for my job." Just as she passed Ren, she murmured an a voice only he could hear, "Eavesdrop much?"

Kyouko cheerily waved to her friend. "Bye-bye, Moko-san!" She looked at Ren. "Shall we go then?"

[[1 – INT. Shouta's apartment - bedroom

_In rack focus: We see white walls. Right of a white door is a bulletin board cluttered with papers. Next to the bulletin is a black dresser. In foreground out of focus: A bed with a black frame and no headboard. Dark blue comforter. AIMI is under the comforter, but is unrecognizable._

**ETSUKO  
><strong>(Opening the door from the outside)  
>Nii-san! If you don't get up, you're–<br>(She stops in the door way)

_She is wearing a light blue, knee-length dress with a brown 3/4 cardigan._

**ETSUKO  
><strong>Oh, my God.  
>(She closes the door quickly)<p>

_Camera Focus to Shallow Depth of Field. Forground in Focus: we now see AIMI lying under the blue comforter._

2 – INT. Shouta's apartment - kitchen

_We see sunny yellow walls and white countertops. SHOUTA is pouring himself a cup of coffee. He is wearing a wine button-down and black slacks. ETSUKO enters._

**ETSUKO  
><strong>There's a girl in your bed.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>I know.

**ETSUKO  
><strong>There is a _girl_ in your _bed_.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>I _know_.

**ETSUKO  
><strong>Nii-san...Are you seeing someone? Without telling me?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Not exactly.

**ETSUKO  
><strong>You had a one-night-stand right next door to me? With some random girl? You've been looking around? Without telling me?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>That's Tsukino Aimi. She's not some random girl.

**ETSUKO  
><strong>(She starts slowly, building in intensity)  
>You had a one-night-stand with my best friend from high school? No! That is just...When did you two meet up? I mean, right after the reunion you came to the bar and you were alone...How did this...<p>

**SHOUTA  
><strong>(He is obviously a slow-thinker in the mornings)  
>Relax. I slept on the couch.<p>

**ETSUKO  
><strong>But how did you two meet up?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>I found her...Etsuko, I think she's in trouble.

**ETSUKO  
><strong>Define "trouble."

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Last night she looked like she had been hit by a onslaught of trucks. I tried to take her to the hospital, but she wouldn't let me...I didn't know what else to do...

_There is a knock at the door. ETSUKO leaves to answer._

3 – INT. Shouta's apartment - main room

_We see a room with one large window next to the front door. The walls are a light dust green. There is a dark wood kotatsu with a dust blue futon and chocolate pillows. On the wall adjacent to the window, there is a 36-inch flat screen with a Wii attached. There is a dark wood bookcase next to the TV._

_ETSUKO opens the door. TAKANASHI JIROU is there in full cop uniform. He smiles at ETSUKO._

**ETSUKO  
><strong>(She shakes her head)  
>You are in for a surprise.<p>

**JIROU  
><strong>(He moves past her)  
>What do you mean? Shouta?<p>

_SHOUTA enters from kitchen._

**ETSUKO  
><strong>He was just telling me a story that I think you should hear, too. Nii-san, start over. Don't leave anything out.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>You remember my telling you about running into Tsukino-san at the reunion? The one you and Etsuko skipped out on to–

**ETSUKO  
><strong>Don't stall.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>...I ran into her last night...actually, this morning.

**JIROU  
><strong>(He is very amiable and humorous)  
>That's it? Or did she have some earth-splitting confession? Or, better yet, did you finally ask her out after...what has it been...eight years since you first started liking her?<p>

**SHOUTA  
><strong>(He takes his time)  
>She looked like she had been through hell.<p>

**JIROU  
><strong>(His happy face falters)  
>What do you mean?<p>

**SHOUTA  
><strong>(He searches for the right words)  
>Do you remember second year of high school when we snuck out of class to go see that yakuza movie?<p>

**JIROU  
><strong>We snuck out of class to go see a lot of yakuza movies, man. You're going to have to be more specific.

**ETSUKO  
><strong>You two snuck out of class? Frequently? How did you get into college?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>It was the one with Ayo Miki and Tachibana Jun.

**JIROU  
><strong>Oh, yeah. That one.

**ETSUKO  
><strong>(She murmurs this more to herself)  
>How do you remember that...<p>

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Do you remember how Tachibana's character beat up that Toa-kai kumicho? Do you remember what that guy looked like?

**JIROU  
><strong>(His face twists up in horror)  
>Oh, God...<p>

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Yeah...

**ETSUKO  
><strong>What does that mean?

**JIROU  
><strong>It means she's been beaten pretty bad.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>And I think she's been...

**JIROU  
><strong>What? You think she been...you don't mean...raped?

_SHOUTA nods._

**JIROU  
><strong>God! I hope you took her to a hospital! Which one is she in?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>She isn't...

**JIROU  
><strong>What?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>She's in my bed...

**JIROU  
><strong>She's _where_?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>I slept on the couch. I swear.

**JIROU  
><strong>That's the least of my worries. I'm worried about getting her to medical help! Can you even imagine how much blood she could have lost? Do you even know if she's alive?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>She was breathing when I went in to check on her...

**JIROU  
><strong>(He is getting very sarcastic)  
>What about infections? What about STD's? Did she have those when you checked on her?<p>

**SHOUTA  
><strong>I don't–

**JIROU  
><strong>Of course not! Do you know why? Because you're not a doctor! Why didn't you take her to a hospital?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>I tried! But whenever I tried to call for help she would try to take my phone away!

**JIROU  
><strong>(He calms down a bit)  
>Wait, she was conscious when you found her? Did she say anything about a culprit?<p>

**SHOUTA  
><strong>No, but I'm pretty sure it's that guy.

**JIROU  
><strong>Do we even know anything about this guy? Other than the fact that he's living with her? Like his full name or his address or what he does?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>No...

**JIROU  
><strong>Does she have her phone on her?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>I don't know. I didn't search her pockets!

**JIROU  
><strong>Why not?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>I just didn't...I didn't think to strip search a potential rape victim.

**JIROU  
><strong>(He nods and starts walking toward the hall)  
>Etsuko, come help me.<p>

4 – INT. Shouta's apartment - bedroom

_The door opens slowly. All three heads peer in. The whole scene is whispered._

**ETSUKO  
><strong>Are you sure she is asleep?

**JIROU  
><strong>She looks dead to me.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>(He moves toward the bed)  
>No, she's definitely breathing.<p>

_He pulls back the comforter. JIROU inhales sharply. ETSUKO covers her mouth with her hand and closes her eyes._

**JIROU  
><strong>And you didn't take her to the hospital? Even when she was asleep?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Etsuko, look for her phone.

_ETSUKO nods and slowly moves forward. She searches AIMI's jeans pockets and eventually produces a blue Nokia model._

**JIROU  
><strong>Give it to me.  
>(He takes it from her)<br>Etsuko, you should probably wake her up and get her into the bath after we leave.

_ETSUKO nods and the boys leave the room._

5 – INT. Jirou's civilian car

**SHOUTA  
><strong>What are you going to do with the phone?

**JIROU  
><strong>Check it out. See who she was talking to last. Run some cross-searches. The same thing you would do.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Then why can't I do that?

**JIROU  
><strong>Because I'd have to arrest you for withholding evidence. Besides, I have nothing better to do today. All traffic points are covered on the schedule, and those meth guys have us wandering in circles. Circles in the direction of Mitaka, if you wanted to know. Chief is a bit annoyed that they're so close, but what can we do? These guys are not careless.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>We're not talking about yakuza, right?

**JIROU  
><strong>Not exactly. We suspect that it's a small ring, but Hiro and Ue think that these guys could have ties to Yamaguchi. Make sure that we are merely cited as "police" or "anonymous sources," Okay?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Don't worry.

**JIROU  
><strong>And don't do anything stupid. Like wandering in there without us. But, if you feel the need, just call in. Chief loves you because you make us look good. He'll give you all the boys you need.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>That's reassuring.  
>(He sighs)<br>I was just going to type today, though.

**JIROU  
><strong>(He glances over quickly and puts his eyes back on the road)  
>Don't worry about her. Etsuko will take care of Tsukino-san. That girl takes care of kindergarteners. She can easily manage an adult.<br>(He slows the car down)  
>Your sister is lucky, you know. She doesn't have to work on Saturdays.<br>(He parks the car)  
>Get out.<p>

_SHOUTA gets out and shuts the door. He raises his hand in a half-wave and walks into his building._

6 – INT. The Sun - bullpen

_Everything is greys and whites and blacks. There are stacks of papers everywhere. Some people are typing furiously on laptops, others are messing around with wads of paper and rubber bands. There is a clock above the main door. The clock reads "18:24." SHOUTA stands in the middle of the chaos. He packs up his files and stuffs them in his brown leather bag. He closes his laptop and packs it. He exits through the main door._

7 – INT. Shouta's apartment - living room

_We see AIMI in a light pink sundress, presumably ETSUKO's. She is sitting at the kotatsu and is watching the news while sipping a cup of tea. There is a brown blanket around her shoulders. The bruises on her face are darker than they were the previous night, the cut on her lip has scabbed over, and her right eye is swollen shut. She starts when she hears someone coming._

_The door opens. SHOUTA and JIROU enter._

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Tadaima...

**ETSUKO  
><strong>(from the kitchen)  
>Okairi!<p>

**JIROU  
><strong>Tsukino-san! You're awake!  
>(He sits down with her and smiles)<br>Do you remember me?

**AIMI  
><strong>(She nods)  
>Takanashi-san.<p>

**JIROU  
><strong>You do remember me! I was going to go to the reunion, but we had a mandatory debriefing last night–

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Liar.

**JIROU  
><strong>(He glares at SHOUTA)  
>Anyway...<br>(He smiles at AIMI)  
>I heard you ran into a little trouble last night? Do you want to talk about it?<p>

_AIMI shakes her head quickly._

**JIROU  
><strong>Are you sure? I can help you. I'm an officer, you know.

**AIMI  
><strong>What will you do if I don't tell you?

_SHOUTA and JIROU look at each other._

**JIROU  
><strong>Nothing.

**AIMI  
><strong>You're not going to accuse me of withholding evidence?

**JIROU  
><strong>Well, technically, you, as the victim, have not even confessed to being victimized. Until you do, I don't exactly have a case from which you can withhold _anything_.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Could you at least tell us how you got in that situation?

_AIMI shakes her head and looks back at the TV._

**JIROU  
><strong>Tsukino-san, we can help you...

_She hugs her knees to her chest. JIROU sighs and stands up. He leads SHOUTA to the kitchen._

8 – INT. Shouta's apartment - kitchen

_ETSUKO is pouring rice in the rice cooker. JIROU and SHOUTA enter._

**ETSUKO  
><strong>Did she say anything?

**SHOUTA  
><strong>Not much. Did she say anything to you?

**ETSUKO  
><strong>"Un", "iie", "ryokucha onegaishimasu", and "arigatou." She has said anything else.

**JIROU  
><strong>And I honestly don't think she will. Not for a while, anyway. She's too scared. I would be too if I after a traumatic incident I were to wake up in an unfamiliar bed in the apartment of two people I had not seen in five years.

**SHOUTA  
><strong>But we need her to talk!

**JIROU  
><strong>I know that. This is a criminal case. Her testimony is necessary.

**ETSUKO  
><strong>Unfortunately, not one of us knows how to get a wounded person to open up.

_ETSUKO and JIROU nod solemnly while SHOUTA appears thoughtful._

**SHOUTA  
><strong>No, we don't. But Chouko does.]]

"Cut. That's a wrap. I like that last take, but we'll have to send it off to editing to see how it works out," Kurosaki told his assistant. "Tsuruga-san! I need to talk to you. Could someone send for Mogami-san? I think she's in her dressing room."

Ren waited while the director looked over some notes. It had been four days since the roses incident, and he had to admit that he was a bit disapointed that Kyouko had not told him about the gift. He understood that she claimed the whole dating Shou business was nonsense, but he could not help the anxiety. As much as he was against the whole affair, he wanted to know every detail. But more than that, he wanted her to _tell_ him every detail. It gave him a sad feeling of possessiveness and security when she confided in him, and being left out of the loop while she was dating another man, albeit fake dating, was a terrifically painful and apprehensive position for him.

He wondered just how far she wanted to take her little game.

He looked up right when she was entering the set. She was wearing a deep purple top with a pair of khaki shorts that showed off her lovely legs. Slender, smooth, defined, and just so wonderfully perfect. She stopped next to him and assumed her usual position: hands together, back straight, feet facing forward. Entirely proper, entirely graceful, entirely Kyouko.

Everytime she was around he felt like a hormonal teenager.

Not that he was much older than one, but that was completely beside the point.

Kurosaki looked their way. "Ah, yes. As you both know, we're about to get into the more romantic aspect of this drama."

The pair nodded.

"And this romantic relationship is not a normal one. In most romantic dramas, there is a destined couple. A couple of antagonists come in and try to break them up, but everything wraps up nicely. But this is not quite so clean-cut. Aimi, you are not only in a relationship but also haunted by this relationship and you current life-threatening situation. Shouta, you are the good guy who deserves the girl, but you have to hold yourself back because of everything she is going through. You can't even convince her to be with you due to her complicated emotions. In short, this relationship is not about love but about the lives involved. Since you'll be concentrating on creating life, the love will have to come naturally." He sighed. "I know that the two of you are friends and that you spend a good deal of time together outside of work. I understand that you may not see each other in an amorous light, but for this show to work, I need you to start getting to know each other on a more intimate level. I don't mean you need to begin living together, but I do want you to start spending time together in more romantic settings. Off-set emotions always manifest on set, after all."

Ren could not decide if the universe was for him or against him at the moment. On one hand, he would love to do something romantic and couple-y with Kyouko. He would gladly go all out with flowers, gifts, a restaurant...And he was perfectly willing to use the work excuse to sucker her into it. On the other hand, she would probably misinterpret every advance. She already did that, but those were minuscule things he had done. Now, if he were to do something big and elaborate, she would brush off his actions as "necessary for the drama." Even a blatant kiss might not get through to her. Even worse, what if she decided after one special outing that he was not in any way, shape, or form the kind of man she wanted to spend her life with even if she got accustomed to the thought of loving again? What if he were doomed to the "respected sempai" forever even after she got over her philophobia?

"I know you're not exactly jumping for joy at the idea," Kurosaki continued, "but I really would like your going on at least one date."

...

...

...

**Yakuza - the Japanese Mafia. I'm pretty sure everyone already knew this, but just in case...**

**Kumicho - the yakuza clan boss**

**Toa-kai - the fifth largest yakuza clan in Japan, stationed primarily in Tokyo**

**Yamaguchi - the largest Yakuza clan in Japan, stationed all over and rumoured to have inroads in Tokyo**

**Mitaka - one of the western cities in Tokyo**

**Ryokucha onegaishimasu - Green tea, please. A more familiar way to say this is "Ryokucha o kudasai," but when using "onegaishimasu", you can omit the "o"**

**I know I haven't updated for some time, but I have a really good excuse. I have been able to work on this for, like, fifteen minutes each day because we just started the run of our musical. And if you do musical theatre, you know exactly what that's like: awful. No time whatsoever for about five days, and then you stop having pre-runs and all that jazz. Anyway. I should have more time to write now.**

**About the whole date thing: this is something that some directors actually require between costars, even if they don't have any romantic attraction. It's all about seeing that person in a new light and establishing a new level of trust. Because I don't care how good of a method actor you are. There are some things that can't be created. Like chemistry. And trust.**

**I promise to get deeper into the love triangle in later chapters.**

**So...yeah. Read and review!**


	4. Act 4: Any Way You Want It

**WARNING: The frame-story has the potential to get pretty dark. Of course, the main plot is light, but the TV show is not. So skip the scripted parts if you can't handle drama.**

**I love reviews. The good, the bad, and the ugly. So review.**

**No drama in this chapter. Sorry for those of you who were anticipating it. I'll make it up to you in the next chapter. This is a short one, so I can update something to feel better about myself while I slowly work on the next part...**

...

...

...

_**Any Way You Want It**_

"A date?" Kyouko squeaked.

Kurosaki nodded enthusiastically. "I know that the two of you are friends, and your chemistry is amazing...but you each need to learn how you would feel if you were attracted to the other."

_That's hardly a challenge,_ Ren mused. He looked over at Kyouko, but she had turned her head away. What was she thinking?

"Relationships always come out on set, as I said," Kurosaki continued.

Ren nodded. "I have no problem with it. Kyouko?"

Both men looked at the girl and she nodded quickly.

"Good." The director checked his watch. "I suppose the two of you can figure out a time and place without me? I have to run. I have calls to make. Excellent work today. Both of you." He turned and scurried from the set.

Ren looked at his costar. "Kyouko?"

She met his eyes. "I can't...Ren-san, I _can't._ I just can't go on a date with you!"

He felt like dying. Right there. There was no point in going on, right? She even refused to go on a fake date with him. "Have I done something?" Why did he feel as if he were going through a break-up?

"Oh, no, Ren-san. It's not you. It's me."

Now he seriously felt as if she were breaking up with him. "W-what do you mean?"

Tears sprang to her eyes as she shook her head. "What would happen if we were to be seen? What would the press say?"

So she did not want to be seen in public with him. Was it because of that Fuwa Shou idiot?

"I'm not good enough," she continued.

"Eh?"

"I'm not pretty. I'm not popular. And you need to be with someone who is. If anyone saw us...I'd ruin you! I just know I would!"

He wanted to scream that she was radiant, that she was the one he needed to be with. But he knew that she would never listen to him. Not if he were to say _that._ "Kyouko," he began with a safer approach, "if anyone sees us we just need to explain that we were doing something for work purposes. That's the truth, after all. And Director Kurosaki could always confirm that for us."

"But what if they still don't believe us? What will happen to you?"

"Kyouko, we will _not_ be the next Doris Day and Rock Hudson."

"Who?" She cocked her head to the side.

"Never mind." He grabbed her upper arms. "And furthermore, where are you getting this ridiculous notion that you will drag me down?"

"I told you that I'm not pretty or popular and...there are other girls who are! Momose-san for instance..."

"Kyouko, have you seen yourself in magazines lately? Have you listened to the radio or television? Have you read the star section of the paper? Japan loves you."

Kyouko shook her head.

Ren gently took her face in his hands. He knew that he could easily kiss her. It would be so damn easy...But for all his shortcomings, he did not lack common sense. "Mogami Kyouko, I would be honoured and delighted if you would go on a date with me. I know it's short-notice, but are you free tomorrow night?" He already knew she was. For once, he actually thanked Yashiro's stalker-esque tendencies.

Kyouko nodded quickly and pulled away.

He clenched and unclenched his hands, missing her warmth. How he longed to pull her close and just hold her...To simply stand there with his arms around her, touching her and gazing at her and breathing her in... "Then I'll pick you up at seven?"

LMExLMExLME

Kyouko stared at every garment on her bed. She could not fathom why she felt so nervous. It was just a fake date, after all. _A fake date that you're supposed to treat like a real one._ She figured that the problem lay in her ignorance. She had no idea how to even act on a fake date, much less a real one, and she had half a mind to call Ren and back out. But good sense took over and she realized that this exercise was helpful not only for her development of Aimi and her relationship with Shouta but also for the furthering of her destructive plot and eventual annihilation of Fuwa Shoutarou. If she knew how to act on a real date, then she would easily know how to make a date a living hell.

_That looks cute enough. _She picked up a light pink satin top with a few ruffles around the neckline. If she wore it with black pants and her white coat she would look fine.

Makeup? Maybe a little. Not too much, though. She did not want to look cheap, but Ren deserved naught but the best, even if her best were not nearly enough for him. Not that he would ever intentionally let her know her inferiority. He pushed her and forced her to work and demanded a great deal from her, but he was never downright mean. Everything he did was for her own good. He only wanted to help her. He would never blatantly insult her, especially not when her natural appearance was in question. He would be perfectly kind and supportive, the ideal sempai. And that fact made her feel even less worthy.

Kyouko collapsed in front of her vanity. Why did she have to be so plain? Why could she not be beautiful for him? She sat up quickly. Not that she wanted to be beautiful for him for her sake, though a positive opinion from him certainly would not hurt. No, she wanted to be beautiful for his sake. _I mean, he should only be seen with beautiful women. He is the great Tsuruga Ren, after all._ She put a hand over her chest and tried to calm her breathing. Her thought process was not functioning properly. Every thought that crossed her mind made her seem like a girl in l–_NO! I just respect him! Respect! That's why I want everything to be right!_

She heard the door open downstairs and looked at the clock. It was seven o'clock exactly.

_He's here! Of course he's here! He's always on time and I'm not even...Oh, no!_

Five minutes later she sheepishly made her way into the restaurant and saw the Okami-san talking animatedly to Ren, who was smiling as genuinely as he possibly could while the Taishou scrutinized him. The Okami-san looked up and gasped. "Oh, Kyouko-chan!"

Ren turned around. His smile slowly grew horribly bright. It was not the brightness that covered up anger, like she initially thought she would see due to her tardiness. This smile was the kind that made her grudges shrivel up and float away, think kind that made her heart stop and her knees like jelly.

Ren was in front of her in moments. "You're beautiful," he murmured. "I got you something. I saw them and thought they were bright and cheerful, like you." He produced a carefully-wrapped yellow and white bouquet from his coat.

_Are flowers normal on a date?_ She shyly muttered her thanks and took the flowers. Almost immediately, he face went red.

Having grown up in a traditional inn, she knew a bit about the language of flowers, especially since one of her chores involved putting fresh bouquets in the guest rooms, romantic flowers for couples and happy flowers for families. She figured that Ren would not know what each of these blooms meant, but she did.

Yellow and white honeysuckle denoted devoted affection, Japanese anemone meant unending love, and yellow acacia hinted at secret love. But what really made her blush were the big, yellow jonquil. That flower transformed the bouquet from a simple display of adoration to a plaintive cry of love unrequited. She could still remember the exact wording from the book on the language of flowers. "I desire a return of affection."

Of course, Ren could not possibly know any of that.

Even so, she felt hot all over and she wanted to hide somewhere. Thankfully, she was saved by the Okami-san crying out, "Oh, how lovely! Kyouko-chan, I get some water and I'll put these in your room, alright?"

Kyouko nodded and handed the bouquet to the woman. She looked at Ren and quickly apologized for being late.

Ren simply took her hand. "Not at all. You are definitely worth the wait." Then he brought her hand to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles.

Kyouko turned into a tomato again. She wondered if she would ever be a normal colour that night.

He escort linked their arms together. "Shall we be off, then?" He bowed to the Taishou, who nodded in return, and to the Okami-san when she entered the room again. Then he led a dazed Kyouko in to the cool November air.

LMExLMExLME

"He's so handsome," the Okami-san sighed.

Her husband grunted.

"And such a gentleman."

The Taishou humphed.

"Sweet Kyouko deserves a man like him. What a pity this is only for work!"

"He's not working," the Taishou commented gruffly.

The Okami-san waved her hand. "I know that. I saw everything. I just hope she did, too. I just wish that she would see this in the same way: more than work. Kyouko deserves happiness. Don't you agree, dear?"

The Taishou grunted again, which the Okami-san took as a sign of concurrence.

...

...

...

**The date and all of its consequences will be in the next chapter.**

**Funny story about the flowers: the meaning thing was not a cheesy, intentional schtick. It was totally accidental. See, I just happen to like Japanese anemone and honeysuckle and jonquil. They're simple and bright and happy. And everybody knows that acacia makes a lovely filler-flower. Anyway, my sister was reading through my original draft of this, and when she got to that part, she looked at me and said, "You do know what those mean, right?" And when she told me, I almost died. Too perfect, right? I've been having odd luck all week. Good luck, but odd. **

**I've been thinking that I should up the rating for this story. Meaning that it would be rated M for the themes in the drama, but I would not put lemons in it. What do y'all (Yes, I am from Texas) think? Bump it or no?**

**So...yeah. Read and review!**


	5. Act 5:  I've Had The Time of My Life

**I've almost decided to move the rating to "M." If anyone has an issue with that fact, let me know. Otherwise, I'm making the change. I will NOT be putting lemons in the fic, so don't go thinking I am. That's just not my style. Or, if I had a style, it wouldn't be.**

**Also, I have developed two endings. That **_**always**_** happens to me... Anyway, I'll post the first and more happy-fun-cliché one with this story. And then, for those of you who would like a more dramatic ending, I will post it separately. Because it is freaking LONG.**

**Um...If anyone is bored right now (summer always kind of bores me...) would he or she like to BetaRead for me?**

**PAY ATTENTION: I love reviews. The good, the bad, and the ugly. So review. Really. Do it. Reviews make me happy and I update faster if I'm happy. Even if you leave a bunch of anonymous reviews all under different names I'm happy. I totally have not done that in order to speed an author up. *Looks around shiftily* **

**And we finally get to the date and some legitimate action.**

...

...

...

_**(I've Had) The Time of My Life**_

Kyouko gazed across the ice. "I haven't done this since...since I lived in Kyoto." Even then, it had only been at the Kyoto Aquarena on the modern ice rink. Toshimaen was completely different. It was smaller, for one thing, though not by too much. And the ice at Toshimaen was made the old-fashioned way, by freezing layers of water, one on top of the other.

"Did you enjoy it when you were in Kyoto?" Ren asked as he tied the rental skates. He looked rather odd with a brown beanie covering his hair and forehead and with a pair of faux glasses on his face. She was wearing similar accessories, though hers were a bit more feminine.

She shrugged. "It was for a birthday party. The host only invited me out of obligation. I never really had any friends in Kyoto."

"How's that?"

"Shou was popular even then. And since I lived with him...well...I wasn't."

"You what?"

Kyouko looked at her sempai and cowered under his darkening gaze and too-bright smile.

"You _lived_ with him?"

"His family basically adopted me..." she squeaked as her grudges leapt into the sky in elation.

"But you _lived_ with him?"

"Gomen nasai! I didn't mean to make you angry!"

"Kyouko..."

She looked up. His look had softened.

"I'm not angry with you. I'm angry with him."

She cocked her head to the side and her grudges began to calm down. "Why?"

"He hurt you," he said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Her grudges prepared for take-off at the reminder but suddenly stopped and stared at the man. What? Kyouko stared too. Why did she feel like that statement held so much weight? Naturally, he was just a sempai looking out for his kouhai. But her logic could not stop the heat seeping into her face.

Ren chose that moment to take her by the hand and pull her onto the ice. Her face felt so hot, she was certain she could cook eggs on it. _No! He can't do that! People will think we're a...a...couple...Oh, no! Ren-san...what are you thinking? And we're not even playing characters because we have to be here as ourselves...Right...we're _supposed _to look like a couple. That's the whole point of this exercise!_ She nodded to herself and felt her temperature go down, only to feel it flare up again when he turned and flashed her a genuine smile that sent her heart racing. _How can he do that? How can he just look at me and...Wow...There really is a reason he's been the number one most desirable actor in Japan for five years running. He just flashes that smile and any woman would melt...That's his game! Playboy!_ "You look like you've done this before," she murmured before almost slipping over a rough patch.

"I went skating a couple times when I was a kid. I used to play a little hockey. I was never very good at it though," he chuckled.

"Where did you play as a kid? Hokkaido?"

"No, the West Coast." His shoulders tensed suddenly and he reached out to steady himself on the hand rail.

The hand that wasn't holding his subconsiouly reached around him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just slipped." He smiled kindly and steadied himself before setting off again.

_I really don't know much about him, _do _I?_ "Where on the coast did you live?"

"Shounai. In Yamagata."

"You never talk about it. Your childhood."

Ren shrugged. "There's not much to talk about. It was pretty insignificant."

"Oh, come on..." She swing their hands forward and back.

"Ah..." He looked p at the night sky. "I idolized my parents, you know?"

She nodded. She definitely understood.

"They were perfect. My mom, I thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. I still do...well, almost." He squeezed her hand and turned a bit pink.

_Is he thinking about that high school girl? Of course he is! She would be the most beautiful woman in the world to him, after all. What would she think if she were to see us like this? H...holding hands?_ "What was she like? Your mother."

"She was kind. I remember that the most. She used to read to me. All kinds of books. Fairy tales, adventure stories. She had a beautiful voice."

Kyouko tried to imagine a tiny Ren sitting on his mother's lap as she read to him from a large book. He would have big, brown, doe-eyes, she decided. And big puffy cheeks and hair that stuck up at the front because it was too short to fall forward over his eyes like it normally did. She giggled. "What was your favourite book?"

"Hm...I loved the _Lord of the Rings_ series."

"The what?"

"Never mind."

A more experienced skater whizzed past Kyouko and she pulled herself closer to Ren, wrapping both of her arms around his left arm. He glanced at her curiously and she started to pull back. "Sorry."

"It's fine." He grabbed her left hand with his own so that she had no choice other than staying in their present position, unless she wanted to skate backwards, and she was not at all keen on that idea.

She looked up at him, but he had turned his face away, a fact she was grateful for since her own face was on fire. "Tell me more about her."

"She was graceful in every way. In the way she moved, in the way she spoke...And she had this confidence about her...She could walk down the street and every head would turn her way."

"What did she do for work?"

"Uh...Advertisement."

"What about your father?"

"Same thing."

"No. I meant to ask what he was like."

"Oh. Right." He looked at the ice and smiled. "My dad was my hero. I wanted to be exactly like him. He was loud. He was funny. Everybody loved him. He was..." He trailed off, obviously lost in thought.

"What happened?"

"Huh?"

"You keep referring to them in the past tense."

"Oh, that." He shrugged. "I developed a rebellious streak. I had...many...fights. I got involved with the wrong groups and did some pretty...I fell out with my parents and then I left."

"When?"

"When I was fifteen."

"So young!" She could scarcely believe it. Just the thought of Tsuruga Ren, who was always so kind to everyone, fighting and running with the wrong crowd sent her mind whirling.

"I was the same age you were when you–WHOAH!"

Everything happened in a rush. Their skates collided, tripping both of them and sending them tumbling toward the ice. She waited for her head to hit the hard ground, but her crown collided with something completely different. Her eyes fluttered open. _This is just like that time in his kitchen..._ Except this time, she could not feel his breath against her neck. Her eyes widened. No, his mouth was somewhere different.

LMExLMExLME

_Is she alright? I tried to fall away from her so that..._ He felt the ground beneath his head rise and fall. _This is awfully soft...and warm...for ice...Wait. _ He opened his eyes and saw pink and a little skin. _Oh, God._ His head had landed on her chest and his mouth was right on top of her left breast.

A million thoughts rushed though his head, most of them involving the two of them in the same position without the damn hindrance of clothing. But the loudest and most important thought was _GET THE HELL OFF BEFORE SHE SCREAMS AND CALLS YOU A PERVERT!_ Which, considering everything he was thinking, she had total rights to do.

He jerked up into a kneeling position while she covered her face with her hands. "Gomen nasai..." he mumbled. "Can I...can I help you up?"

She nodded and held out a hand. But as soon as he was pulling her and trying to stand up, they fell again, though this time she landed on top.

He could not help it. He laughed. And after a few moments she joined in. They must have looked like a pair of hysterical lunatics because he had to breathlessly assure several concerned onlookers that they were perfectly fine.

"Hey, you stand up first, and then I'll get up," he proposed.

She nodded and used the rail for support as she shakily got to her feet. He followed, but when he was almost steady, his feet shifted and he fell forward onto her back, pushing her against the wall with one of his arms around her waist.

_Well, this is compromising,_ he mused.

That's when it happened.

He felt an odd movement around her stomach area. He grinned and leaned over to murmur in her ear, "Hungry?" A strange sense of satisfaction came over him as she blushed and sheepishly nodded. "Let's go then."

LMExLMExLME

"Alright. I told you about my childhood. Now you tell me about yours." Ren nudged her slightly.

Kyouko shrugged. "There's not much to tell."

"I'm sure there's a lot to tell. For example: Your time with the Fuwas. Or how you even ended up living with them. You could tell me about any friends you had...People who had a lasting impact on you..." Oh, yes. He was definitely dropping hints. He loved hearing her talk about him, even if it were a him she had tremendously embellished in her mind.

"Ano...I started living at the ryokan because my mother travelled all the time."

Their fingers brushed and she quickly stepped slightly away from him, inducing a feeling a severe disappointment. "Why did she travel so much?"

"I..." Kyouko looked thoughtful. "I'm not quite sure...She stopped coming around so often as I grew older, and whenever she was around I never had the chance to talk to her because she–We would talk about other things."

_Like how disappointed she was in your failure to be absolutely perfect. By her standards, at least._ "What about your father?"

"He...he...I never really knew him."

She had been drifting back toward him. For a second time their hands brushed, but he did not let the opportunity slip by and quickly latched onto her hand before she could pull away. "Did he pass away?"

"No, he–" She bit her lip.

"You don't need to fear talking to me." He knew about her mother's lack of motherly instincts and he knew that she had a deep relationship with Fuwa Shou (and had recently learned that it was far deeper than he had imagined) but he knew little else and nothing could hamper his curiosity.

"I know...I just..." She sighed. "He left before I was born. I suppose it was my fault. He didn't want a kid..."

Ren squeezed her hand. So her inferiority complex had been present since birth. He added her father to the ever-growing list of men he'd like to seriously mutilate.

"My mother left town for the first time after my first birthday. She may have been looking for work. She left me with the Fuwas. Whenever she would come back for a visit, she would criticize me. I never lived up to her expectations."

"But were the Fuwa's kind to you?"

"Oh, yes. They treated me like their own, but they were so busy with the ryokan that they rarely had time for Shoutarou or myself...But they trained me to take care of the place, too, since I always wanted to help. They always wanted the two of us to grow up and get married..." She trailed off.

He could not help feeling a bit happy. At least he knew now that someone else had put ideas of Shou into her precious, adorable head. She may not have ever really loved him. She may have only thought she had. She had gotten over her feelings rather quickly. She hadn't moped about like other girls would when their hearts were broken. No, her heart and love hadn't been betrayed. Only a persistent, false thought that was the result of premature brainwashing had been hurt. "What about friends?"

"I didn't really...Well, you know about Corn."

"I know only what you've told me. That he was a fairy prince who gave you that stone."

She sighed. "He was only there for a week...but the time I spent with him was the happiest time of my childhood. He paid attention to me because he wanted to, not because he had to. Now that I think about it, he probably did more for me in one week than anyone had in my whole life. I mean, the Fuwas gave me a place to stay and food, but as far as love went..."

Ren smiled uncontrollably.

"I wonder if he still thinks about me..."

"He does," he said forcefully. "He thinks about you all the time, believe me. You are extremely dear to him."

She looked up at him. "You've said something like that before, but...How can you be sure?"

"Because you are entirely unforgettable." He stopped and looked up at a sign. "Well, this is it. Yashiro told me about this place. It's supposed to be amazing." Ren looked around at the crowd. _Apparently all of Nerima thinks so, too._

"But there are so many people...How will we get a table?"

"I made a reservation earlier," he told her, feeling a childish sort of pride in telling her that he had indeed remembered that food consumption was a necessary practice. He gave a name to the hostess and she smiled and led them to a table at the back of the restaurant, far from the crowd near the door.

"Hizuri?" asked Kyouko as soon as the hostess had left. She was referencing the alias he had made the reservation under.

Ren shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "It's a common name."

"It is?"

Both were distracted as a waiter came up and took their drink orders. The boy looked between the two of them with a questioning expression before turning away shaking his head.

"So...Kyouko...Tell me more about yourself."

She hiccoughed and blushed profusely. "Ano...What do you want to know?"

"Well...Likes and dislikes...What do you hate? Other than double-crossing visual kei singers."

She smiled. "That's an easy one. Double-crossing visual kei imitators."

LMExLMExLME

"Are we allowed to do this?" Kyouko asked as she looked around her. They were in the middle of Shakujii, at one of the ponds. He had taken her through the ruins of the old castle and then on a walk through the darkened forest lit only by dim path-lights.

"I don't think so..." He jumped as the rocket suddenly let out a loud pop and a ball of light spurted from the end. The light sped from the end of the tube and right into the pond. Ren frowned. That did not work out well. Then, he heard a sweet musical sound beside him. Oh, how he loved that sound! He turned and grinned. "Are you laughing at me?"

"I'm sorry!" giggled Kyouko. "You just looked so cute when that happened! You looked like a little boy!"

He felt his face get so hot he was sure all of his skin would burn off. Cute? Had she actually said that? _Cute_? And in a childlike way? That was not at all what he had been going for. Not at all what he wanted the woman of his dreams to call him. Manly, handsome, strong, wonderful...Those would be fine. But _cute_? It was mortifying. _Still_, he decided, _it's better_ _than_ _nothing_. He cleared his throat and picked up the next rocket. He made sure to stick it in the ground before lighting it. In a few seconds a green ball burst from the upright stick and shot into the sky, bursting into a great ball of white flames that turned into little green stars, illuminating the top of the castle walls in the distance.

Kyouko gasped.

He grabbed her hand. "You light one now. Yeah...Jam it in there...Ok..." He reached forward and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her back. He kept that position, partly because he did not want her to get close enough to get burned, mostly because he just loved how she felt in his arms.

The ball of light exploded into smaller balls of indigo.

Kyouko giggled a bit more. "Let's do another one."

As he pulled the next firework rocket out of a plastic bag, she asked, "Ren, what makes the fireworks different colours?"

He smiled, noticing how she dropped the honourifics. "I don't know." He flipped the lighter closed and pulled her close again. "I think it has something to do with the metals inside..."

"Can metal burn?"

"Some can."

Again they watched a ball of light speed upward before bursting into a shower of red and gold.

Suddenly Kyouko stiffened. "What was that?"

Ren stopped and listened too. He heard the sound of feet and voices approaching. "The watch! Come here!" He pulled her behind a bush and pushed her down on the ground.

"Ren-san! We left the bag of fireworks!" she hissed.

_Damn it..._

The voices stopped right above them.

"This lake is supposed to be haunted by the soul of a princess who committed suicide."

"Oh, how awful!"

Ren let his head fall to the ground. It was just a couple out for a nighttime stroll.

"Her ghost is said to lure people to the depths of Sanpou-ji pond."

"How frightening!"

"Don't worry. I'll protect you."

Ren snorted. Kyouko hit him slightly. He looked over and saw that she was also trying to contain her laughter. They were both positively giddy, and the new show was absolutely hilarious to them, especially from their current position.

"Oh, Ito-san! You're so brave."

Kyouko squeaked. Ren quickly rolled on top of her and covered her mouth with his hand.

"Anything for you, Amamiya-san."

He carefully removed his hand and brushed her cheek gently. She looked so gorgeous lying under him with her hair in a sexy mess and laughter painted across her face. He wanted to kiss her.

"Ah! Ito-san! Mmm..."

He wanted to kiss her. His hand moved from her cheek to her forehead, brushing back her soft hair from her sweet face.

"Let's go, Amamiya-san..."

"To your room?"

"If you want..."

He wanted to kiss her. His fingers trailed down her nose.

The footsteps faded away.

He wanted to kiss her. He lowered himself so that their noses were barely touching and looked into her eyes. With so little light, he could not read a thing. But she was not freezing like she had in his kitchen. In fact, one of her small hands had just come to rest on his shoulder blade. "Kyouko..." he breathed. His thumb brushed her bottom lip and he felt her mouth open just slightly.

Damn it all. He was going to do it.

He leaned in...

And stopped.

He was not sure what held him back. She was not pushing him away. Hell, she was even acting..._receptive_. But something was nagging at the back of his mind. He pulled back quickly and stood up before offering her his hand.

_What happened to me?_

Kyouko dusted off her pants and thanked him softly.

Ren glanced at his watch. "It's getting late. I promised the Taishou I'd have you back before eleven."

LMExLMExLME

"Arigatou..."

Ren smiled. "It was my pleasure." And it truly was.

They stopped on the front step of the Darumaya.

He shifted his weight.

She shuffled her feet.

"Oyasumi." He figured that he could probably drop formal speech with her.

"Oyasumi"

Neither one of them moved.

She looked at him. "You could come in for some tea...if you like..."

He did like the sound of that, but he felt like he should save that for the next date. _What next date, you idiot? This may be your last!_ He shook his head. "I should probably get home."

"Ah."

"Oyasumi."

"Oyasumi."

Again, they stayed put.

Kyouko bit her lip.

Ren took a deep breath. It was now or never. He had let his last chance go. This time he was going to do it. "Kyouko."

She looked at him expectantly.

Before he could allow himself time to think, he bent down and pressed his lips against hers. He could have burst into song. She was not pushing him away. He pulled back slightly and murmured, "Oyasumi."

"O-oyasumi..."

He straightened quickly and walked a few steps away, in case she got any ideas about slapping him. Then, a thought struck him. He turned back around and saw that she had not moved an inch. "Kyouko!"

Her head snapped up.

"Ano...If you like...We can do this again sometime. Not for work, I mean. Just as two people..." He trailed off, a bit frightened of her answer.

He had no need to be.

Kyouko smiled slightly and nodded quickly. "Ok."

He grinned widely. "Oyasumi!"

"Oyasumi."

He almost danced to his car. Then, once he was in the driver's seat and the door was closed, he screamed, "HELL YES!"

LMExLMExLME

Kyouko leaned against her bedroom door and grinned. She quickly started getting ready for bed. Almost everything about the night had been a surprise.

First, she had not expected seeing Ren acting so...normal. Not that he usually _abnormal_, but she felt like she had seen a new side of him. A side that was not so perfect. She felt like she had seen through some of the ridiculous walls that surrounded him. Especially when they were in Shakujii...

Second, she had expected a high-class restaurant and some fancy something. But he had surprised her with something...well...normal. Everything had been something a real couple would do, not something a fairytale prince and princess would do. And somehow...that made her appreciate him even more. Because even though they had not participated in the activities a prince and princess would participate in, he had still treated her like–and had made her feel like–a beautiful princess.

Third, and most surprising of all, there had been two instances where she had thought that he would kiss her. And the second time, he actually did. But that was not the surprising part. The most surprising part was that both times she had _wanted _him to kiss her.

She flopped down face-first onto her futon and hugged her pillow.

Maybe, just maybe, she had a teeny, tiny, itsy, bitsy, little, bitty crush on Tsuruga Ren.

But just maybe.

After all, how could she not? He was...Tsuruga Ren. There were no words that could describe him.

She rolled over on her back and hugged her pillow tighter.

But would that really be so bad? After all, Tsuruga Ren would never let her down, not cruelly at least. And he was good, and kind, and fun, and caring, and intelligent, and...

She yawned and closed her eyes. Her last thought before drifting off was, _Oh, I forgot to brush my teeth..._

LMExLMExLME

Ren knocked tentatively and opened the President's office door and almost immediately met with a colourful and loud horror and a rain of small pieces of coloured paper. He was besieged, by a thousand or more of the troops under Lory Takarada. Well, more like twelve men, but they were all grinning widely and blowing whistles and kazoos while he stood there looking like an idiot covered in confetti. One man pulled a cord on the back wall and a huge banner sporting the word "Congratulations!" fluttered down from the ceiling. Lory himself appeared in blinding regalia of rainbows and gold.

He thumped Ren on the back. "Excellent work, my boy! I've been hoping for this day for a long time!" He waved his hand at his entourage and the celebrating masses began to disperse. "This is truly a glorious moment for you."

Ren brushed a streamer off of his shoulder and spat out some glitter. "What are you talking about?"

The President laughed heartily as he lead his charge to his desk and picked up a newspaper. "This, of course!"

Ren read the headline and his heart stopped. His picture was on the front page of the star section, but he was not alone. A very cute brunette was seated across from him at a small table in a very familiar restaurant. _"The Costar Killer Strikes Again! Even Hateful Mio and Natsu Cannot Withstand!"_ The story below had an even more suggestive heading. _ "Tsuruga Ren and Kyouko-chan: Benefits or Even More?"_ It was coupled with a picture of their almost-kiss near the Sanpou-ji Pond. Ren gulped. Kyouko was not going to like this. On the bright side, neither would Shou.

But even more important than that: the President was not going to like the truth.

"There's a mistake–"

The President patted the actor on the back. "Tsuruga-kun, a picture is worth a thousand words, and the second one especially is _quite_ a picture. It clearly speaks for itself."

"We're not together at all. Kurosaki had us go on a date to deepen our on-screen chemistry."

The President froze. His smile now seemed plastered to his face. "What?"

"We're not–"

"WHAT?"

Ren jumped.

"After every opportunity I've given you...And this one! This was a golden opportunity sent by God Himself! You let all of these just pass by?"

"Well, I–"

"When do you actually plan on doing something, hm? When you're in your fifties?"

"But–"

"And I even arranged a talk-show interview!"

"What?"

The President looked at his idiotic charge. "A talk-show, Ren. The press is going crazy right now. Your finally getting a girl is a topic they are planning to milk until it's dry! This is going to get the media coverage of William and Kate's Wedding! Which was fabulous, by the way. The trees in Westminster were an excellent touch."

Ren nodded slowly.

"But honestly! Now you plan to go out and tell them, 'Oh, no. It's all a joke. She's just a friend and that was only for work.' And what about Mogami-kun? What will she think when you say that? You are in a precarious position, mister. You are on the verge of locking yourself in the friend slot for life."

"I know."

The President sighed dramatically and turned away. "Get out of my office. I don't even want to look at you. Actually, come back. I need you to pass on a message to Mogami-kun."

LMExLMExLME

Kyouko slipped into the LoveMe locker room smiling and humming.

"I'm glad you're happy. Have you seen the papers?"

Kyouko looked up in delight. "MOKO-SAN!" She threw herself forward, but Kanae stepped aside deftly.

"Have you seen the papers?"

"The papers?"

"What happened last night?"

"Last night?"

"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME!" Kanae placed her fists on her hips as dark flames erupted around her. "HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME THAT YOU HAD DUMPED THAT FUWA IDIOT AND GONE FOR TSURUGA REN INSTEAD? HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME THAT YOU WERE DATING HIM?" She shoved a newspaper in Kyouko's face.

The young actress quickly scanned the page. Oh dear. What would Ren think?

"Ano...Moko-san...It;s not real. We're not really dating you know."

Kanae blinked as the flames died. Then they flared up again without warning. "HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME THAT YOU'RE FAKE-DATING TWO MEN AT THE SAME TIME?"

"Moko-san! No! It was for the new drama! I swear!"

"Oh..." Kanae sat down, exhausted.

"But, Moko-san, I think...I may have a..._little_ crush on him..."

Kanae sat still. "Are you thoroughly mad?"

"No, I just–"

"You know how men are! If you start falling for him–"

"But he different! Besides, it's only a little one. I doubt it will progress to..._that_."

"Let's hope not. You are not allowed to leave this place without me."

Kyouko beamed. "Moko-san!"

There was a knock at the door. Kanae stood up to answer it. As soon as she had opened the door she said, "Ah. Were you listening at the door again? Or have you learned your lesson?"

Tsuruga Ren jumped back. "I just need to talk to–"

"Make it quick. We're busy."

Ren nodded and took one step into the room.

Kyouko smiled as her heart sped up. She suddenly felt like there was not enough oxygen in the room.

"I–uh..." He noticed the paper in her hands. "You've already seen it."

"Yes."

He scratched his head. "The President has scheduled a talk-show for us. So we can clear everything up."

"Oh. Ok." She felt slightly disappointed. "What time?"

"Six, after filming. The President has rearranged your schedule." He shuffled his feet. "Well, that's it then."

Kanae promptly opened the door for him with a sarcastic smirk.

Just before he was gone, though, he turned around. "You know, Kyouko, we don't have to say that it was all for work."

Kyouko looked up at him. For a moment, just for a moment, she wished that it were all real. That last night had been real and that he actually, for whatever reason, wanted to be with her. But she stopped herself before she got too carried away. She would not let herself sink that far. "What else would we say?"

Ren gave her a very odd look before he nodded. "Yeah, you're right. That's all we can say. Sorry." And then he was gone.

Kanae looked at Kyouko, who was hanging her head. She looked at the doorway that Ren had just walked through. She looked back at Kyouko. She looked back at the doorway. She looked at Kyouko again. Finally she threw her hands up in the air. "You're both completely hopeless!" She stalked out of the locker room and slammed the door behind her.

...

...

...

**Toshimaen - a theme...thing with a small amusement park and sport fields and a really cool ice rink. No pun intended.**

**Shakujii - a historic park with ponds and nature viewing areas and ruins of this old castle. All that's left is the moat and eastern wall, so don't expect too much. Admission is free, FYI.**

**Nerima - one of the "cities" in Tokyo. This is where Toshimaen and Shakujii are located, in case you're ever stuck there and bored. According to a little bird who looks a lot like my cousin, there are some pretty sweet hole-in-the-walls, in case you're ever stuck there and bored and hungry.**

**Did anyone else get bored somewhere in the middle of the date? Or am I just insanely...I don't know...Am I just the incredibly dissatisfied author?**

**No, of course they didn't have an "accidental kiss" on the ice. I do not write such cliché things, and I am thoroughly insulted that you actually thought for a moment that I would. Gosh, what's wrong with you?**

**I have NOT forgotten the main point of this story. We're about to really get into it. I keep saying that...**

**I know. I know. I took my sweet time getting this out. But I have a very good excuse. My whole family headed across the pond for a while for a reunion. We had to spend a week with my dad's family and then a week with one side of my mom's family and then a week with the other side of my mom's family. Her two sides aren't speaking right now. They're not fighting, really. Just not speaking. You understand if you're Irish. But it was fun. One night, in Dublin, my two cousins got so drunk that they started parading around town in Akatsuki robes while singing "Finnegan's Wake." I don't even know where they **_**found**_** Akatsuki robes. My sister calls those two "the muggle Fred and George." I think they are the real Fred and George reincarnated and they just haven't told the rest of us that they use time-turners and have permission to apparate in and out of Hogwarts.**

**Holy crap. Apparate and Hogwarts are **_**both**_** in my Mac's dictionary. That just made my day.**

**And then my brother kidnapped Cathy (twin sister) and I and took us to London for a couple of days. We saw the BEST PERFORMANCE OF LES MISERABLES EVER! And I have seen that show some...17 times. So that's really saying something. I also saw the best performance of Phantom of the Opera that I've ever seen. I've seen that one almost as many times as I've seen Les Miz, so that's also saying something.**

**But who actually wants to hear about my life? That's why I post this at the end. Because I don't usually read the end notes so I assume no one else does. Am I right?**


	6. Act 6: Long Overdue For a Miracle

**I will not be changing the rating. Nothing truly graphic/explicit will happen, so I'm just going to leave it as is and hope people understand that T = PG13.**

**On that note...Guess who's back from the Galapagos...ME! I know, I kind of left without warning and that was entirely unfair to all of you, but I'm home now, and that's what matters.**

**PAY ATTENTION: I love reviews. The good, the bad, and the ugly. So review. Really. Do it. Reviews make me happy and I update faster if I'm happy. Even if you leave a bunch of anonymous reviews all under different names I'm happy. I totally have not done that in order to speed an author up. *Looks around shiftily* **

**And we finally get to the date and some legitimate action.**

...

...

...

_**Long Overdue for a Miracle**_

"Ano, Ren-san...I forgot to ask something. Which show are we going on?"

Ren cocked his head to one side. "Didn't I tell you? It's called _Yappa Kimagure Rock_."

Kyouko froze. "Na...ni?"

Ren stopped walking as well. "_Yappa Kimagure Rock_. Have you ever watched it?" He smiled slightly.

Kyouko felt a bit of fear sink in. "No."

"I didn't either until a few months ago." He chuckled. "I like the chicken."

Kyouko retained a peaceful smile, but inner-Kyouko recoiled in fear. _They must have a replacement tonight if I'm going to be on...What if he tries to talk to the replacement Bo, and the replacement Bo ignores him...And then what if he never confides in Bo again? Who will he run to? Who will..._

And then an even more dreadful thought hit her.

_NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! What if someone lets slip that I'm Bo? He'll never trust me again!_

She could already see the scene in her mind.

_Ren stood in front of her while she was begging on her knees. "I trusted you," he said. "I trusted you and Bo, and both of you let me down. You have betrayed me."_

_She wrapped her arms around his legs and swore that she would never deceive him again. She insisted that she had nothing but good intentions._

"_Intentions? You think good intentions will save you? Don't touch me!" Ren shouted. "You have no right to touch great and awesome me!"_

"_I know!" she screamed. "I know I have no right! I am a lowly beginner! I understand why you are angry! How could you confide such things to an unknown like myself!"_

"_Indeed, but you forgot to say that you are a worthless liar."_

_Kyouko looked up to find that Ren had grown at least fifty feet._

"_I will squash you under my shoe for your deceit. It is no less than a useless, lying bug like you deserves!" He lifted his now-gargantuan leg and positioned his enormous foot directly over her head._

_She screamed._

"!" Kyouko crumbled tot he floor and covered her head with her hands. "DON'T SQUASH ME!"

Ren bent next to her and asked, "Kyouko? Are you alright? What's wrong?"

She met his eyes and scuttled back on her hands and knees. "Don't squash me! I didn't mean to! It just happened!"

"Kyouko, what are you–"

"Don't hurt me!"

He looked around at the confused passer-by's and smiled. "She's just...ah...practicing..."

LMExLMExLME

Ishibashi Hikaru reviewed some of the talking points and looked back at the newspaper. He almost ran into a chair.

"Yo...stop pacing. You're making us all tense," Shin'ichi told him.

"Can I help being nervous?" Hikaru flashed the paper at his friends. "They were together. On a date. She was with him. Can't I be anxious?"

"You can be anxious," Yuusei said. "You just look like you're about to have a heart attack."

Hikaru sat down in one of the dressing room chairs. "What if we ask them if they're really together and they confirm it? What if they reveal that they've been together for a long time? What if–"

"Relax." Yuusei propped his feet up on a table. "I'm sure this is just a big misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?" Hikaru pointed at the picture of the almost-kiss. "How can this be a misunderstanding? They're...about to...about to..."

"Yuusei's right. You know how weird these actors can get."

"Don't call her weird."

"The point is, there could be any random explanation for this."

"What if they're lying?" Hikaru threw the paper on the ground. "Have you ever thought of that? What if they say they aren't together to cover it up?"

Someone knocked at the door. "Five minutes."

"Oh, God...I'm going to die..."

Shin'ichi stood up and stretched. "Fine. Can I have your iPhone?"

Yuusei punched him in the arm. "I was going to ask for that!"

Hikaru followed them into the hallway. "You guys have no consideration for my feelings!"

LMExLMExLME

Yuusei gestured for the crowd to be silent. "Well, Tsuruga-san, Kyouko-chan, we've been asking you all about the new drama, but I think we all know why we're really here."

Hikaru stiffened.

"Indeed," Shin'ichi agreed. "I think every person in this place has been wondering the same thing since you got here. So now, Tsuruga-san, Mogami-chan, we will ask the dreaded question..."

"What," the two began, "is your favourite colour?"

The audience tittered.

"Blue," Kyouko and Ren said at the same time.

"What perfect timing!" Shin'ichi exclaimed. "But we should really be serious now. Just this morning, there were some very interesting articles in the paper. Can you confirm these for us?"

Ren jumped in first. "Unfortunately, we can't. There is some truth to those: we were out together last night."

"But," Kyouko added, "our meeting was for professional purposes."

"Professional?" Yuusei's eyes glinted as the picture of Ren and Kyouko in the park flashed onto a screen behind him. "This does not look professional to me."

Hikaru clenched his fists.

"It may not look professional, but it definitely is," Ren said. "Our director had us go out for a...romantic evening so that we could get to know each other on a different level. It is meant to help our chemistry in the drama."

"Until now, our relationship had been completely platonic," Kyouko told Yuusei.

"What about now?" Hikaru asked, his voice tight. He cleared his throat and leaned forward. "What exactly is your relationship right now?"

The entire studio fell silent as Kyouko and Ren waited for the other to speak. Finally, Ren answered the question.

"We're just close friends."

Kyouko smiled, but she could not ignore the twinge of pain in her chest.

LMExLMExLME

[[1 – INT. Shouta's apartment - main/living room

_SHOUTA, JIROU, ETSUKO, and CHOUKO are all sitting around the kotatsu._

**CHOUKO**

(To SHOUTA)

First of all, may I say that you are a complete idiot?

**JIROU**

Thank you for backing me up.

**CHOUKO**

But a good-hearted idiot.

**SHOUTA**

Can you just help us?

**CHOUKO**

Of course I can, but berating you is so much more fun.

**ETSUKO**

Isn't it?

**SHOUTA**

Oh, thanks. Let's all pick on me!

**CHOUKO**

Chill. Etsuko, go keep our guest company.

_ETSUKO exits._

**CHOUKO**

I'm going to guess that you're thinking about working backwards, right? You'll ask "What happened?" Then "How did you get into that situation?" Then "How did that happen?" And so on.

**SHOUTA**

How else do we get anything out of her?

**CHOUKO**

I'm working with amateurs...Look, for a case like this, you can't work backwards. She's confused enough as it is without having her brain flipped over by you two.

**JIROU**

So what do we do?

**CHOUKO**

(As if it is the most obvious thing in the world)

You work forwards. From one point in the past up to the point you're most curious about. You four were all friends in high school, right? Then that's your starting point.

**JIROU**

Talk about high school. Easy enough.

**CHOUKO**

No, passive reminiscence will not get you there quickly enough. You need to be active.

**SHOUTA**

How?

**CHOUKO**

(Again, as if it is the most obvious thing in the world)

Go out to dinner! The four of you! Just have fun.

(She stands up)

I need to talk to her a bit, if you don't mind.

2 – INT. Shouta's apartment - Shouta's bedroom

_AIMI is sitting on the bed and looks up when CHOUKO enters the room._

**CHOUKO**

How are you feeling?

**AIMI**

(She shrugs)

I think I lost my phone. You're going to ask me about last night, aren't you?

**CHOUKO**

No. I've just heard a bit about you over the years and I wanted to meet you.

**AIMI**

I know a shrink when I see one. You have this...thing about your eyes.

**CHOUKO**

Have you ever met with a psychologist before?

**AIMI**

I've meet with a psychiatrist once.

**CHOUKO**

(She sits down on the bed)

Why?

**AIMI**

My mom thought I was ADHD. I wasn't, though. I was just a useless day-dreamer.

**CHOUKO**

What did you day-dream about? Forgive me, professional interest.

**AIMI**

(She smiles softly)

The same thing every little girl day-dreams about. Meeting a prince and living in a castle.

**CHOUKO**

When I was little, I used to pretend I was Beauty, from Beauty and the Beast.

**AIMI**

I preferred Cinderella. I liked how the prince came and whisked her away from her wicked stepmother and stepsisters. She was rescued, you know?

**CHOUKO**

Have you ever wondered what happened after that?

**AIMI**

(She shrugs)

I guess they lived happily ever after in the castle and had children and ruled over the kingdom. Thinking about it logically, I suppose she had to deal with state dinners and spending and she had to avoid wasting too much money or else she'd end up like Marie Antoinette. Considering that she had been out of school since she was twelve, she probably had all sorts of tutors. But I guess she and the prince were happy.

**CHOUKO**

Really? I'm not so sure. After one dance at the ball...I just can't imagine they had a deep enough relationship. I think they probably figured out that they didn't match up a little too late. The prince probably had multiple mistresses, and Cinderella probably had several affairs with attendants or courtiers. I don't think they had a wonderful relationship.

**AIMI**

And how is Beauty and the Beast different?

**CHOUKO**

They had to fall in love before they could have their happy ending.

**AIMI**

So you're not quite a cynic, just a realist.

**CHOUKO**

I prefer practical idealist.

**AIMI**

Whatever you call yourself, you don't believe in love at first sight.

**CHOUKO**

Actually, love at first sight is very sound, psychologically speaking. We tend to fall in love with people we are attracted to, and that attraction usually occurs on the first meeting, whether it's friendly or otherwise.

**AIMI**

Then how do you explain those people who don't get along? Like in _Pride and Prejudice_?

**CHOUKO**

Mr. Darcy was attracted to Elizabeth, and she found him handsome too when they first met. There were just a few obstacles.

**AIMI**

How long have you known them? Takanashi-san and Nakano-chan and Nakano-kun?

**CHOUKO**

Since university. They're good people.

**AIMI**

Lots of people can claim to be good people. Few actually are.

(She notices a gold ring on CHOUKO's finger)

You're married.

**CHOUKO**

I'm married.

**AIMI**

What's he like?

**CHOUKO**

He's a bartender, but he also manages exhibits at the museum. We met in university in a Japanese history class. He was actually studying history, and I was just trying to get the credit. I found out that we had a mutual friend in Shouta, and I decided Yuuta had to be a decent guy. He really is. He's honest and hardworking.

(She checks her watch and stands up)

I have to meet someone soon, so I should go.

**AIMI**

Out of curiosity, how do you think Cinderella should have ended?

**CHOUKO**

I'm not sure. Maybe she should have refused to marry him until she knew him a little better

3 – INT. Shouta's apartment

_CHOUKO enters and sits down._

**CHOUKO**

Well, if you're going to get her to trust you, you certainly have your work cut out.

**ETSUKO**

It shouldn't be too hard, right? I mean, we were all friends. She should already trust us a little.

**CHOUKO**

(she shakes her head)

You're wrong. She doesn't trust you at all. Not one of you. But I'm willing to bet that there is a lot more to her story than you three realize.

**JIROU**

What else is there to realize?

**CHOUKO**

I don't...I don't think this is the first time this has happened to her. When I talked to her, she was acting almost normal. As if what happened last night hasn't upset her at all.

**JIROU**

But she refused to get help!

**SHOUTA**

And she very clearly said "Save me" when I found her!

**CHOUKO**

(She ignores Jirou and looks at Shouta)

Everything you've told me about last night leads me to believe she was suffering from acute stress reaction. She did not exhibit any of the symptoms when I was with her. That's expected, though, since symptoms usually disappear within a day or two, many times within hours.

**ETSUKO**

Symptoms?

**CHOUKO**

Anxiety, impaired judgement, a dazed expression...Believe me, she was not acting overly anxious and she seemed very aware. And, if you offered to take her to the hospital now, I'm sure she'd go.

**JIROU**

But she won't tell us anything!

**CHOUKO**

Understandable.

**JIROU**

Understandable?

**CHOUKO**

Like I said: she was acting perfectly normal. As if last night were nothing unusual. She's probably been through this many times. And if we assume that her attacker from last night is her boyfriend, then he's probably been doing this all along. And if we take into consideration the amount of time that they've been together...Girls like this...Those guys usually have them..."trained." If she says anything, she'll consider it betrayal. You have to be careful.

4 – INT. Shouta's apartment - main/living room

_SHOUTA, AIMI, ETSUKO, and JIROU walk through the door. ETSUKO and JIROU are laughing, SHOUTA is smiling broadly, and AIMI has a small smile on her face._

**ETSUKO**

Oh, that was fun! I haven't talked about our high school days in a long time!

**JIROU**

(He pulls something out of his pocket)

I almost forgot, Tsukino-san. Someone picked this up near the place...Shouta found you the other day. We traced it to you.

**AIMI**

(She takes her phone form him)

Thank you.

**JIROU**

It's apparently been ringing all day, but they've been letting everything roll over to voicemail.

_As if on cue, the phone rings. AIMI answers._

**AIMI**

Hello?...Yes...I'm fine...I'm sorry...Yes...Yes...No...I'm coming.

(She hangs up)

I need to go home. That was Kurosawa-san. I need to go home.

**SHOUTA**

It's almost midnight. Surely you can stay here until–

**AIMI**

I want to go home.

**SHOUTA**

But–

**JIROU**

Where do you live? We'll drive you.

**SHOUTA**

Jirou, could I speak to you in private?

5 – INT. Shouta's apartment - kitchen

_SHOUTA drags JIROU in._

**SHOUTA**

What are you doing? You're delivering her to him!

**JIROU**

Look, we're not even sure he did it!

**SHOUTA**

Well, I'm sure!

**JIROU**

That's not enough grounds to hold her! Besides, she said she wants to go. If we keep her here, you could be brought up on charges for kidnapping!

**SHOUTA**

So you're just going to let her go? But he–

**JIROU**

Look, if we take her home, then we know where she lives, right? I can't bring up any arrest warrants if she refuses to press charges, but I _can_ file for a stakeout warrant. We sit around for a while, watch for any suspicious behaviour or proof of battering on his part, and make a move. If we catch anything, we can hold him for forty-eight hours, which is enough time to file for arrest, and then we're done.

**SHOUTA**

We're going to stalk them?

**JIROU**

No, I'm going to watch them. You're going to sit there with your press pass and wait for a hot tip. God knows that with that thing you can legally stalk the emperor.]]

Kyouko thanked the other actors and walked to her dressing room. When she opened the door, she met with a very unpleasant sight.

"What is this?" Shou demanded as he waved something in her face.

"That," she clarified tersely, "is yesterday's newspaper."

"I was talking about the pictures...and the articles."

She sat down in front of the mirror and started wiping off the bruise makeup. "A misunderstanding. Weren't you watching TV last night? Or this morning?"

"I had to record at the studio last night, and I was too busy freaking out over this to pay attention to anything else today." He sat down on a couch.

"Well, it was for work." She pulled her wig off and carefully adjusted it on the wig head. "Our director wanted us to go on a date off-set so we could develop our chemistry on-set."

"Are you sure?"

She turned to face him with a scowl. "Yes, I'm sure. And I am personally insulted that you think I would agree to go out with you and then turn around and date someone else."

"You're right. You wouldn't do that." He stared up at the ceiling for a long time. "Are you free tomorrow night?"

"Why?"

"I want to take you out."

She folded her arms across her chest. "What should I wear?"

...

...

...

**So...college is starting soon, which means that updates will be as sparse as they have been recently. Sorry about that...**


	7. Author Note

**Yes...Yes...I am more than aware of the fact that you are not supposed to post author's notes as a chapter, but this is important.**

**First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who has reviewed thus far. You are beautiful people, and I love all of you and your encouraging words and constructive criticism. Secondly, I want to thank everyone who has favourited this story. I am honoured. Truly. Thirdly, I want to thank everyone who has added this to their alerts list. Again, I am honoured. Finally, I want to thank everyone who has waited so patiently for an update.**

**I regret, however, that I must inform you that you will need to wait a bit longer.**

**I went back and re-read what I have after not touching it for over a year, and the truth is that I am not at all satisfied with this story. I like the plot, to be sure, but as I read, I realize that this is rushed and not at all my best and not at all my writing style. And I strongly believe that you readers deserve something better than a rushed, thinly plotted, and very untrue to myself story. You deserve the best that I can give. And, as writing should be for the author, I need to be true to myself and give myself my best.**

**All this to say that I am not removing this. Nor do I plan to leave it as is. I will finish it someday, when work and school slow down and I actually find the time to read Skip Beat! and write fanfiction stories when not working on my own original works. By this time, I hope you have come to realize that I mean to re-write. In this story. I will go chapter by chapter, fleshing out, removing holes, and adding more substance as I go. And when all is said and done, I hope that you will be extremely satisfied with the results, as I hope I will be. I will finish this story, hopefully within the next calendar year.**

**So, I must beg all of you to continue to support me. Please, do not give up on me jut yet!**

**Thank you,**

**Dyanne**


	8. Final Note

**Faithful readers and supporters:**

**Thank you for your enduring patience and words of kindness! I would like to announce that the first chapter of the edited Hit Me with Your Best Shot is officially up and can be accessed from my author's page.**

**You're all beautiful people.**

**Sincerely,**  
><strong>Dyanne<strong>


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